Hospital Readmission Reduction

In 2006, when Dr. Steven Jencks conducted a study on patient patterns of re-hospitalization, he found a startling 1 in 5 patients readmitted within 30-days of discharge. Fortunately, this number has finally begun to decrease.

Historically, healthcare payments have been tied only to medical services delivered within the hospital, ambulatory settings, physician offices or other healthcare facilities; there was little financial incentive to manage a patient’s care once discharged. But the signing of the Affordable Care Act has changed this. After years of unsuccessfully attempting to reward hospitals for cost-effectively managing the patients’ health, the government has switched from the “carrot” to the “stick.”

Today, if your hospital fails to manage its rate of 30-day readmissions for HF, AMI or PN, you run the risk of incurring up to a 2% penalty against your annual Medicare reimbursement. (In 2015, the percentage increases to 3% with the addition of 3-4 more DRGs.)

A Better Way

As an organization responsible for patient care, your focus is to ensure patients have easy access to healthcare resources and that they take all necessary steps to prevent adverse health outcomes. To assist you, LVM has developed, in conjunction with ORCAS, a Eugene, OR healthcare innovations company specializing in health management and behavior modification content, a turnkey readmissions reduction solution.

The Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) - Release with Care™ solution is an in-depth post-admission course of care that greatly reduces the probability of the patient returning during the initial 30 days post-discharge; as well as facilitates behavior change over time. It represents the best in evidence-based theory and application.

To learn more about how the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) - Release with Care™ solution can help you achieve your readmission reduction goals, contact your regional sales professional.